Dallas Store Owner Fights Off Armed Robbers

An east Dallas convenience store owner fought off two armed robbers Tuesday night, killing one and sending the other fleeing.

According to local media reports, Bunthan Te, owner of the Shop-N-Go at Mounger Boulevard and Columbia Avenue, was confronted by two masked gunmen at about 10 p.m. One held his wife at gunpoint while the other jumped over the counter.

Te grabbed his own gun and ran for the cooler section, where he had a shootout with one suspect. When his wife broke free from the other robber, Te also fired at that suspect, causing him to flee. One armed robber died in the parking lot, while the second and a getaway car driver have not yet been found.

Democratic Lawmakers Seek Gun Industry Suits—Again

Some Democratic anti-gun lawmakers have teamed up with the Brady Campaign to introduce legislation that would once again expose gun manufacturers and dealers to Clinton-era type nuisance lawsuits designed to bankrupt them.

Connecticut Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and California Congressman Adam Schiff want to repeal 2005’s Protection of Lawful Commerce In Arms Act (PLCAA). They were joined by Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen, whose website called the PLCAA “a law that protects gun manufacturers and dealers from liability for the tragedies caused by their negligence.”

Counter to the legislators’ claims, the PLCAA does not shield the industry from liability for negligence, as demonstrated by the recent Badger Guns decision. The PLCAA was enacted when New York City joined 30 U.S. cities and counties who, spurred by huge settlements from tobacco industry lawsuits, sued the gun industry for the perceived “costs of gun violence.” The Clinton administration even planned to use the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to file crushing suits against the industry.

Hillary Clinton: Appointing Obama To Supreme Court Is “A Great Idea”

At an Iowa campaign event Tuesday, when asked by a voter whether she would consider appointing Barack Obama to the U.S. Supreme Court, Hillary Clinton “lit up,” ABC News reports, and said, “Wow, what a great idea ... I love that ... that’s a great idea.” She added, “We do have to get a Democratic Senate to get him confirmed so you’re going to have to help me on that, OK?”

For a peek at what that might mean, consider this: At a private fundraiser last year, Clinton said, “The Supreme Court is wrong on the Second Amendment,” which means that in Hillary’s view, the core of the Court’s two recent Second Amendment decisions—that you have an individual, fundamental right to own a gun in your home for self-defense—is “wrong.”

Worse yet, Barack Obama’s votes, positions and statements over the years are completely consistent with that view, which would make him a disaster as a Supreme Court justice.

Rupert Murdoch Tweets Support For Bloomberg Run

Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said that he will decide by March whether to enter the 2016 presidential race. While he claims his decision will depend on whether any of the candidates he considers “extreme” win their early primaries, several high-profile individuals have come out encouraging him to enter sooner rather than later, including News Corp founder Rupert Murdoch.

On Jan. 23, Murdoch tweeted the following words of encouragement: “Allegedly Bloomberg again considering running. If he does, may hurt Clinton more than Trump. Seems 2016 the year for populists.” His next post, on Wednesday, even hinted at desperation: “This is Bloomberg’s last chance. You never know until your hat is in the ring! Events change everything, especially during elections.”

If Bloomberg does decide to run, we hope he explains how he could possibly be less “extreme” than the other candidates, given his penchant for pushing nanny-state policies and hating the Second Amendment.

Hawaii Bill Would Require Gun Owner Insurance, Re-Registration

A newly proposed bill in Hawaii would require gun owners to have insurance for their firearms and renew their gun registrations every five years. The legislation introduced Wednesday by Democrat state Sen. Josh Green could force gun owners to purchase firearms liability insurance from private insurance companies—making Hawaii the first state in the country to enact such a requirement, if passed.

According to insurance experts and Bill Richter, secretary of the Hawaii Rifle Association, homeowners and renters insurance already covers accidents involving someone’s firearms, even if gun incidents happen outside their home. Additionally, intentional criminal activity with a firearm would not be covered by liability insurance of any kind. “Any time you mandate something on a core constitutional, fundamental right, it has the effect of chilling that right and the exercise thereof, so we really don’t think it’s a good idea,” Richter told Hawaii News Now.

Massachusetts Sees Sharp Growth In Gun Licenses

While Massachusetts residents are among the most put-upon Americans when it comes to having their Second Amendment rights infringed, that’s not keeping them from jumping through enough hoops to carry firearms for self-defense in the state.

Figures from the state’s Department of Criminal Justice Information Services show that nearly 25,000 new Class A firearms licenses—the most common license in the state that allows the holder to carry rifles, shotguns, handguns and also concealed handguns—were issued in 2015. That brought the total to nearly 350,000 licensees.

The growth in 2015 reflects a long-term trend in the state. The number of licenses has jumped by nearly 105,000, or 44 percent, over the last five years.